The Granger Revolution
by mainstreet52
Summary: Fed up with the persistent and rampant prejudices, and the total lack of apparent change after the war, Hermione Granger makes a simple commitment: Change the system by any means necessary. Post-DH, sans epilogue. (Likely eventually HG/multi but will not be a focus.) NaNoWriMo 2014 (at least to start)
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. This is merely written for fun. This disclaimer applies to the whole story. Attempt at NaNoWriMo 2014, though I don't seriously expect to get to 50K._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Realization and Declaration<strong>

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but we cannot progress as a society by giving into impulses of revenge," Minister Shacklebolt informed Hermione. "We must heal as one. Both sides suffered greatly."

"This was not symmetrical warfare, Minister. One side caused it, one side was the clear antagonist. One side put people into *camps*, Minister. These are not the actions of civilized people," Hermione replied heatedly. "All we want is a justice for our fallen brethren. You're basically proposing to let everyone get off scot-free for all number of crimes."

"The Ministry of Magic must be fair to all, Miss Granger. By allowing them to move forward and contribute, I grant you and your companions the same privilege. The law must apply."

"Motivation and honor matter, Minister. So do bigotry and hatred."

"No matter how much I personally disagree with a position, I cannot simply dismiss it out of hand."

A sudden calm came over Hermione as she came to the realization. The causes that led to the Voldemort Wars remained in place after the Grindelwald War. She'd read a lot of Magical History, from a variety of sources. The pureblood families had always held the power, and used their power to hold onto it themselves. The Ministry served the purebloods, not the government. It always had, and the words of her – a Muggleborn – would not sway matters. She knew that Harry had made similar pushes and had also been ignored. He wasn't a pureblood either, however, was he? Wealthy, to be sure, but hardly that of the elite families. These families were getting away with murder, again. Society would not improve. If she picked up on The Minister's tone throughout the conversation correctly, appeasement would be the name of the game. Muggleborn rights would be greater than during the height of the war, but probably even less than when she entered Hogwarts. No, the current system held nothing, nothing at all.

"I understand, Minister. I wish you all the best," Hermione turned on her heel, lying now. She knew what she had to do.

* * *

><p>"Hermione," Harry greeted her warmly as she entered the doors of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Harry noticed her grim and resolute face. He smirked, leading the way into the parlor. "Given the brush-off by The Minister, I take it? Same thing happened to me, I'm not surprised. It looks like you have a plan, though."<p>

"Not a plan. Not yet," Hermione replied coolly, following him. "But a realization. Nothing in the so-called 'Ministry of Magic' is, or has ever been, intended to do anything but work for the elite purebloods. In a way, defeating Voldemort… no offense Harry," she sat down in the chair. "I know all the hard work we did, but… defeating Voldemort has appeared to be an exercise in futility. Sure, there aren't any Muggleborns in camps, and there isn't open killing, but the system isn't going to be any different than it has been. We're still an oppressed people. The Ministry oppresses everyone but their own privileged few. You know how I feel about house-elves. The same applies to most sentient magical creatures – goblin, centaur, mermaid - all oppressed in some form by the Ministry. Muggleborns might as well be another creature in their eyes."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "I'm forced to agree. The question is… can we do anything about it?"

"Only the most drastic of measures. Call in everyone you trust absolutely, and every Muggleborn in the DA."

"What are you planning, Hermione?"

"Revolution."

Harry let out a deep breath, contemplating. "You – we – will be reviled, you know. The next Dark Lord, they will call me. They've done it enough. It will be an uphill battle. And if we lose…"

"If we lose, they will likely react by going 'see? Here's why Muggleborns don't deserve any rights at all!' and exterminating us… or completely enslaving us. Including, quite possibly, halfbloods too, Harry. If we lose, this is treason. I know what I'm getting into, but I can't see an alternative. If you know of a less drastic measure, I'm all ears."

Harry shook his head slightly. "Unfortunately, no. I'd thought about just leaving, frankly. Going to America, or Australia – far away from these bigoted shores. But it would be a disservice to what we fought for to abandon it now. I will call our friends… and a few… others."

"Others?"

Harry smiled. "I've had a few… conversations… recently, with some classmates we may not have previously trusted. They're just as disgusted as we are, despite their… privileged background."

"…please tell me you're not referring to Malfoy."

Harry blinked. "No, of course not. How he's getting away with all his horrible misdeeds, including several Unforgivables, is incomprehensible to me. There are a couple of Slytherins I have talked to recently, however. Let us not paint the entire house with Malfoy and Parkinson's brush, the way McGonagall did back in June."

Hermione pursed her lips, frowning. "Support from all four houses… yes, it's worth the risk, because it gives us at least a little credibility. Don't take a big chance, though, please. Just those you are absolutely certain of. And no one more than a few years older."

Harry nodded. "I know who to call. When should we do this?"

"Two weeks. July 31."

Harry groaned. "That'll provide cover at least."

"I know," Hermione smirked.

* * *

><p>"First, I would like to thank all of you for showing up. As you may have determined, this is rather more than a simple birthday party for Harry. I thank each and every one of you for the trust you placed in us," Hermione proclaimed. "Has anyone seen any signs of real justice, or even any real granting of equal rights to all magicals?" Dead silence, and a general shaking of heads was the response to her question. "I thought not. Recently I came to the conclusion that the Ministry exists solely to serve the pureblood elite. It will never do what we truly believe is right, in here. There are some things we can attempt, but history shows we will get nowhere. I believe we must not let our efforts to defeat Voldemort end in the same old governmental failures once again. We must continue our momentum, and take over the government to ensure these rights for ourselves, by any means necessary."<p>

"We'll be outcasts," Neville warned.

Hermione inclined her head slightly. "Only if we lose. Every single one of us here, in some way or another, contributed to our 'victory' over Voldemort. If we don't do this, it will be ultimately in vain. I intend to lead this fight."

"Why not…" Ron gestured to Harry.

Harry shook his head. "I am the 'hero' of the Wizarding World," he reminded them. "Any movement I lead is going to become co-opted and mainstreamed. No, it must be Hermione, longtime champion of the oppressed, who is our leader, and future Queen of Magical Britain. And yes, I say Queen, not Minister, because we must not allow ourselves to be associated with the Ministry in any way. We are a new era, the next generation. We will enforce freedom and equality at wandpoint if we must. It is an ironic sort of freedom, to be sure. But we are not the ones that have abused the people for five hundred years or more. We can do this!"

"If you do not wish to join us tonight, you can leave. The wards of this house, the former House of Black, will then make you forget this meeting existed. You will not be automatically trusted, but you will not put your own reputations at risk. I will understand either way, and you should understand that Harry and I will do this ourselves if it should come to that. We will be less likely to succeed, but I will take that chance. I see no alternative," Hermione continued.

No one moved at first. Everyone contemplated silently.

Luna was the first to break the silence. "I'm not going to miss the fun. Everything you've said is correct. You know our paper discusses lots of strange creatures, they exist to hide our paper's real mission, to provide an opposition voice to the Ministry – a highly illegal one, by their rules. I know the Muggle world has freedom of the press. I trust you. I'm in. Long live Queen Hermione," she announced, putting her wand in the air.

"Long live Queen Hermione," Ron copied Luna's movement.

Every single person in the room followed suit. "Long live Queen Hermione, Long live Queen Hermione," murmured throughout the room.

Hermione smiled. "I appreciate your loyalty. Alright, I've spent the last two weeks constructing specific objectives. But first, we need to form positions, squads, and train. Going into our own war untrained is just asking to be dead. Of course, the first move must be to gather more support. Twenty, including Myself, is a start, but not enough by itself."

"Nineteen," Ron interrupted. "I'm sorry, but if you think we're allowing Your Majesty anywhere near a battle that hasn't been won, you're crazy."

"I agree. We need your brain, Hermione… Your Majesty," Harry concurred.

Hermione winced. "Okay, the point is taken. We are committed, we begin now."

* * *

><p>Hermione collapsed onto her bed after a long night of discussion and planning. The first meeting had gone way better than she had anticipated; everyone had supported her, when she had expected about half. She laid the organizational chart down on the bedside, counting a surprising initial member count of 28.<p>

Hermione Granger, Future Queen of Magical Britain

Executive Council: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom

Public Relations/Recruitment: Luna Lovegood, Lee Jordan, Terry Boot

Technology Development: George Weasley, Lisa Turpin, Alicia Spinnet, (also Hermione)

Ministry Operatives: Tracey Davis, Megan Jones, Cho Chang, Jonathon Harper, Adam Garland

Battle Squad 1: Justin Finch-Fletchley, Seamus Finnegan, Crystal Hammond

Battle Squad 2: Wayne Hopkins, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell

Battle Squad 3: Parvati Patil, Padma Patil, Dean Thomas

Battle Squad 4: Brian Stebbins, Lavender Brown, Susan Bones

(Try to grow Battle Squads to five members as we get more associates)


	2. Chapter 2

The first major task was to establish a real base of operations. Grimmauld Place is a house, and totally unsuitable for a base of operations. While 28 people could fit into the main dining hall, it was a tight fit and as the organization got larger, it would become substantially more difficult to host everyone. More importantly, the house did not have any place one could actually train. Sadly, Grimmauld Place was not one of those houses that had everything anyone could ever want as any plot might demand.

It was in a small corner of Sherwood Forest that the answer was to be found. The Hammonds owned a small patch of the Forest, including a previously deserted but largely empty cabin. Crystal acquired full ownership of the property from her parents, who were initially surprised she had any interest in it, having almost no value to themselves. But then, they rightly assumed it was a magical thing, and not being magical themselves, was not a huge concern. Having the pounds to pay fair market value, courtesy gold from the Potter and Longbottom vaults, was quite helpful indeed.

Hermione, Alicia, and Crystal managed to set up a warding scheme on the property after a good three weeks of hard work and frustration. Crystal finished the protections by casting a Fidelius Charm on the property, naming Hermione the Secret Keeper.

All told, the property contained about two acres of forest, an acre of open moor, and a small cabin with only a few rooms.

"We did it!" Crystal proclaimed, excited. "Better protected than any 'pureblood' home. Ha!"

Hermione smiled. "Indeed. We definitely have a good place to work from. Thank you, Crystal."

Crystal smiled back. "Anything for the cause, Majesty. All we need now is… well, something better than the cabin, actually."

"Major construction here will get noticed by Muggle satellites, in such an isolated area," Hermione pointed out. "Last thing we need is attention being called to this place. Of any kind. The Fidelius only protects from people on the ground and in the air, not machines in space."

Crystal grimaced. "Yeah. It would get even worse if they realized they couldn't see what the satellites claimed was there. Alright, let's keep the cabin. At least from the outside."

"Space expansion charms tend not to be permanent on this scale," Hermione pointed out. "I can try, but do you really want to be in that cabin if it collapses?"

Crystal grinned. "There's another option. We rip open that floor, and use our magic to start digging. What we see could always merely be the entrance. The base itself, underground."

"Brilliant, Crystal!" Hermione replied. "Alicia, what do you… Alicia?" It was then that both Hermione and Crystal noticed Alicia was gone.

* * *

><p>"Two bloody hours," Crystal complained. "You were a pain to find, and we were worried about you, Alicia. Why did you go running off?"<p>

Alicia stared at the tree. "Every third tree here is a Valadrite tree."

"A what?" Crystal asked, frowning. Her hair started to streak into her eyes as she stared up at the tree. Herbology was never her strong point.

Hermione had a quick explanation. "A Valadrite tree is a tree containing the magical valadrite leaf, used as a common preservative to extend the life of many potions. It's fairly rare in Europe, though quite common in the Americas. Wait… are you sure about this, Alicia? Because this much Valadrite…"

Alicia interrupted excitedly. "Means two things. One, there's no chance that this area was never discovered by wizards. Which means the Hammonds might have a magical ancestor somewhere. Not that it matters, but Crystal might want to see if there's a magical inheritance available for her."

"You mean, a locked vault for a 'dead' family, waiting for an heir? I thought those were a myth."

"Well, yes and no. You're not going to suddenly get a seat on the Wizengamot, a billion galleons, acceptance from the pureblood elites, and Ladyship over all the Founders houses through a 'dead' vault finding. That is pure fiction. But you might find a vault with a few thousand galleons and maybe some old tomes. Goblins will probably take most of it in 'reactivation fees' but if you get anything significant you might want to try," Alicia replied. "In any case, the other thing this means is that we actually have a pretty major source of funding here regardless."

Hermione nodded with approval. "I will make preparations to begin harvesting this. Of course, Crystal, this is your land, and I'm not going to just…"

Crystal shook her head. "My land is your land, Your Majesty. I don't care what a 'dead' vault says, we're both first-generation witches, and I need our success as much as you do."

Hermione nodded wearily. "It's been a long day. I'll see you… well, when I summon you next, which won't be today. I'm off to Grimmauld Place, still the safest spot for the council right now, and myself. Feel free to come back and do whatever, of course, Crystal. It's still yours."

Crystal nodded slowly. "Hogwarts Express runs tomorrow. Ginny, Luna, and Jonathon still planning on going?"

"Anything else would raise too much suspicion. They're going, and they'll be our eyes and ears in Hogwarts, as well as Luna's cultivation of the Quibbler as our mouthpiece. Towards the end of the year Ginny will look into recruiting a few others to keep the system going. We dare not risk Jonathon or Luna getting expelled. Not that I want Ginny expelled either, but she's agreed to the risk, and her position in 'polite society' is not as critical to our success."

"Awfully cold, Majesty, but I understand the predicament," Alicia muttered.

* * *

><p>"And you're dead. Again," Harry growled. "First rule of combat: DON'T GET HIT! Katie, you're not using cover at all! Get behind trees, bushes, anything you can find. This is a forest, that shouldn't be hard."<p>

Katie sighed, knowing her group had blown it – again. Five attempts to last five minutes to get from the starting point in the forest to the cabin before getting picked off by Harry, and her group had failed every single time.

"Wayne, your wand might as well be a stick if it's in your pocket. It took you thirteen seconds to pull your wand out this time. Angelina, good try on putting up a fight, but you were way too aggressive with me. The mission takes precedence. No, scratch that, your lives take precedence. You're no good to Her Majesty when you're dead, not to mention the fact that you're, well, dead."

Wayne groaned. "We get it, Harry."

"You haven't in five tries. Shall I make it six?"

"Yeah, yeah, give us a few minutes to set up," Wayne muttered.

* * *

><p>Harry walked back into the house on Grimmauld Place, a distinct frown on his face. Hermione, laying on the couch, looked up from her book as he entered.<p>

"So, how did the teams do today?" Hermione asked, anticipating the answer. She waved a hand at him, inviting him to sit with her.

"Awful," Harry sighed, collapsing into his Queen's lap. Hermione started rubbing Harry's temples. "Thanks Hermione. We're nowhere near battle ready. I think we should just build general support and not take any action at all for a long, long time. They wouldn't last ten minutes against anyone competent."

Hermione peered down at Harry. "Harry, are you sure you're not judging them based on 'you' as the competent standard? Because Ministry Aurors, in general, hardly qualify as 'competent.' We know our DA students, including our battle groups, are in the main, better than Aurors."

"I'm one person. Aurors often work in groups, not to mention Ministry personnel and so forth. If I can't do a targeted mission alone, and they can't beat me…"

"Point taken. Okay, we've mostly built the base, and the three of us at least are managing to keep things running here. I myself, am not getting far in my research either," Hermione commented.

"What you're looking for is very complicated," Harry pointed out. "You're basically trying to find a Dark Ritual that isn't Dark. You want the power boost without the contamination or the obviously evil acts they require. That's difficult."

Hermione nodded. "Ideally, I'd also like one that we all could do, or at least a good few. But if it will only work once for whatever reason, I will take it for myself and live with it."

Harry slowly got up. "Thanks for the care. I think I'm off to bed."

"Night, Harry. I'm going to keep reading. There's got to be something here…"

"Don't wear yourself out."

* * *

><p>"Minister, it is a pleasure."<p>

"Thank you for the invitation, Mrs. Nott," Kingsley looked around the manor anxiously. Ultimately, he was here for one reason. The government needed funding. In the past, wealthy patrons would often fund politicians. He wanted to change that. All contributions would be open and benefit the government as a whole, not him. The days of bribery as a means of government would come to an end.

"Of course, of course. It is always good to meet the newest generation of leaders."

"Thank you, ma'am. I just hope we can keep things going. You know how it is."

"Indeed. The Nott family can help with that, of course."

* * *

><p>Adam Garland, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, shifted a few papers in a stack idly on Junior Auror Ron Weasley's small desk, adding a report from a disturbance to the top.<p>

A few hours later, Ron picked up the entire stack, one additional report, and one other paper in hand, taking them home.

* * *

><p><em>The Quibbler<em> – October 12, 1998

Ministry of Magic Continuing Same Old Practices

By Luna Lovegood

Recent evidence has come to light that our Minister of Magic is meeting with the old families in an attempt to fund the government. These families include, among others: the Notts, the Malfoys, the Parkinsons, and the Flints. The same families that were significant funders of Voldemort's campaign to terrorize us all are currently propping the Ministry up. Can we really depend on our ministry to support all wizards and witches equally, given the support of darkness?

We at The Quibbler were wondering why many of the Death Eaters weren't being charged with their crimes. The Ministry insists we must "move on" and "heal as one." But how do we make progress with the same support? If the Ministry can't support itself without the support of families such as these, does the Ministry deserve to exist at all?

The Ministry has always refused to increase taxes on our wealthiest citizens, citing the probabilities of a lack of incentive to contribute to society. Similar ideas in the Muggle world are already showing distinct signs of backfire, as income inequality begins to expand. But instead of taxation, our wealthiest get to simply fund the government for kickbacks. It's time to end this system. The Quibbler will remain firmly opposed to the Ministry, as it did during the war while it operated under its own free will, as long as the Ministry continues these practices. We need a fair system for all.

* * *

><p><em>Daily Prophet<em> - October 14, 1998

Quibbler Censured for Libel

By Rita Skeeter

The Ministry of Magic announced yesterday that the Quibbler would be banned from publication for a period of three months for its libelous actions against the Ministry of Magic. The facts of the case are simple: The Quibbler is maliciously continuing its rebellion against the Ministry, despite the war being over. The so-called "meetings" that the Quibbler attempted to use scare tactics to describe are simply routine checkups as required by the DMLE as per the terms of probation. Perhaps a few months off will allow Miss Lovegood to concentrate on passing her NEWTs rather than staining the reputations of our proud and noble leadership.

* * *

><p><em>The Quibbler<em> – October 19, 1998

Ministry of Magic Engages in Illegal Censorship

By Larry Lapras

The Ministry has attempted to shut us down. For obvious reasons, we will not be publishing from our usual offices. We have a backup secure location, and will be publishing from this area. Miss Lovegood will not be continuing her articles for her safety, but we are confident that our paper will continue without her. The Quibbler would like to reassure its readers that it will continue to detail the Ministry's foibles, such as illegal censorship, funding the government through Voldemort supporters, and conspiring to ensure the New York Yankees win the World Series. (The home plate umpire was obviously confunded during Game 1 on Saturday night.)

The Ministry of Magic must beware: We will not be silenced! Go Padres! End Death Eater collaboration!


	3. Chapter 3

"55 members now. It's a great achievement, Hermione," Ron murmured softly. "I do hope we can trust them all…"

"It'll be fine, Ron, stop worrying," Hermione replied, exasperated. "The Quibbler has been a great success in getting the point across. We'll bind everyone to an oath of secrecy and loyalty before they get access to the Hammond property or here. "

"Oaths aren't perfect," Ron warned. "I mean, you can swear an oath, but if it contradicts one you've already made, the original oath takes precedence. If we have a Ministry plant, and they swear to be loyal to the Ministry first… then we'll have someone who will betray us in a heartbeat. They'll support us while our endeavors don't actually combat the Ministry, but that won't be long. You have no intent in running a long campaign."

"…why hasn't anyone told me this before?" Hermione growled. "That would've saved me a lot of time…"

Ron gave Hermione a quick kiss. "Hermione, I apologize. It's one of these things that you just know in wizarding families… that's why I never considered it. Our DA parchment wasn't an oath, it was a curse. Voldemort used a curse as well for control."

Hermione frowned the fell into Ron's arms a bit, starting to cry. Ron grabbed a hold of her, surprised. "Argh! I can't believe this! We're so damn handicapped by everything! No one tells us… me… any of this!"

Ron held her tightly. "Hermione, love, it'll be alright. We'll figure it out. That's why you have advisors, assistants. You can't do everything, but you're more capable than any one of us. We know this."

Hermione nodded, her face still in Ron's chest. "Right, we'll do this. Somehow."

* * *

><p>John Dawlish stormed into the Great Hall Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He gave the students a glare and approached the Head Table. "I have an arrest warrant for one… Luna Lovegood for running an illegal publication."<p>

Luna quickly stood up from the Ravenclaw table, eyes narrowed. "Where's your evidence?" she growled, pulling out her wand.

"That's not the concern of those of us in this room, and pulling your wand on an Auror is another charge," Dawlish sneered. He turned to McGonagall. "Headmistress, the Ministry expects your assistance in this matter. Control your students."

"Actually," Luna cut in, "the Ministry has no authority in Hogwarts, as per the Agreement of Continuation signed this past summer. Furthermore, my wand isn't pointed at an Auror, it's pointed at an unknown intruder into this school. You haven't proven your own identity to the Headmistress, nor myself. And you are required to show reasonable cause at the time of the arrest."

Dawlish glared and threw a copy of the October 19 Quibbler at Luna. "There's my proof," he sneered. "Your magazine was banned from publishing."

"Hmmm… yes, I received that notice, and I have been compliance. I have no idea who this Larry Lapras is, but I can assure you he is violating the Lovegood family copyright on the name as well. This paper was not authorized by me," Luna waved her wand, transfiguring her Ravenclaw scarf into a white scarf with blue interlocked letters "NYY" in a pattern all over. "As you can see, I support the Yankees. This article clearly does not."

"So you refute this paper's claims? And you would do so publically?"

"I did not say that," Luna replied calmly. "I simply stated that I do not know who this Lapras person is."

Dawlish pointed his wand straight at Luna. "You're not fooling anyone, Miss Lovegood. It's obviously you, and you're coming with me. The Ministry will prove it at your trial."

Luna laughed. "Does anyone here believe I would actually get a fair trial from a Ministry clearly terrified of my words?" About a third of the students raised their hands, a few putting it down after looking around.

Dawlish nodded fiercely. "See, quite a few people agree with me here."

Luna blinked. "I think the Wrackspurts must be infesting your brain. You can't do math properly right now. A third or so hardly constitutes enough of a majority to conclude general agreement."

"Why you little…" Dawlish yelled, sending his wand upward.

"Expelliarmus!" the Headmistress countered, quickly relieving Dawlish of his wand. "Your conduct here has been despicable. If Minister Shacklebolt intends to enforce this arrest warrant, let him do it himself! You, Mr. Dawlish, are not welcome in this castle any longer!"

The sea of wands from the Head Table pointed at Dawlish drove the point home for him to leave. "The Minister will indeed hear of this. Pray that he does not find this castle to be once more in rebellion," Dawlish declared, making his way out the entrance hall.

The Headmistress smirked. "Well, I guess he won't be needing this," she declared, calmly setting Dawlish's wand down in front of her. "We apologize for the interruption. The Ministry will indeed hear of this. Students please continue your lunch. Miss Lovegood, you are not in trouble in this castle in any way."

"Thank you ma'am."

* * *

><p>Daily Prophet – October 23, 1998<p>

Hogwarts Refuses to Enforce Ministry Law!

By J. D. Lawrence

In a shocking move, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall refused to allow Ministry Aurors to make a routine arrest of a student who had been flagrantly violating Ministry law.

"It's shocking the lack of respect that's currently going on at Hogwarts," a spokesperson for the Ministry commented. "We simply cannot allow this situation to continue."

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement will be introducing a bill into the Wizengamot to negate the Agreement of Continuation for Hogwarts, placing the magical education of all students firmly back under control of the Ministry. A spokesperson for the DMLE said simply, "We need to be able to do our jobs. If that means Ministry oversight of Hogwarts, then so be it."

Wizengamot member Augusta Longbottom was quick to condemn the bill. "This is merely another attempt to interfere with the proper running of Hogwarts." The Daily Prophet must note that Madam Longbottom is currently under investigation for actions taken against Ministry authorities in recent times.

* * *

><p>"What crap is this?" Kingsley roared to the assembled department heads. "Who authorized these statements?" No one moved. "I'm the Minister of Magic, and this article is terrible. 'Under Investigation' makes it sound like we're preparing to arrest Madam Longbottom, not give her an Order of Merlin! Everyone here knows perfectly well that's she's a bloody hero! Alright, this is a direct order: the Ministry gives no more statements to media personnel until Lovegood's suspension is over. Not the Prophet, not any illegal papers, and not any international papers! If anyone does, I'll deal with the person they work for, which means one of you! Are we clear?"<p>

"Yes sir!" came a chorus of voices.

* * *

><p>Dear Mr. Potter<p>

If you have time, could you stop by my office to discuss recent events? I am highly disturbed by the happenings both inside and outside the Ministry as of late and am concerned as to the future of Great Britain.

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Order of Merlin, 2nd class

Minister of Magic

* * *

><p>Dear Minister Shacklebolt,<p>

Due to recent events, I am not convinced as to my own safety inside the Ministry building. Why don't we meet at the Leaky Cauldron instead? I'll buy lunch.

Harry James Potter

Order of Merlin, 1st class

* * *

><p>"Harry, you've got to help me," Kingsley murmured, trying to keep his voice low at their table in the corner of the Leaky Cauldron. "I feel like I can't accomplish anything. Everyone under me is fighting me, and everyone outside is fighting me, but they're opposed to each other!"<p>

"I'll be blunt, Kingsley. You're trying to run the Ministry the same way it's been run for generations. But the only reason to fight the war was for progress. Voldemort was evil, but he was also a product of the system that created him. Because the Ministry failed to clean house and take a stand, from the perspective of the fighters of our generation, the war never ended."

"The war IS over, Harry. But we need to…" Kingsley trailed off as Harry stood up.

"I'm sorry, Kingsley, but this can't work. This won't work. The reason you're having issues is that the pureblood elite that the Ministry has always worked for expects it to continue to work that way. The laws are biased for it, and you're trying to work in that system, courting those same people, to try to get them to change to your moderate ways. You continue to marginalize… Hermione and those like her, because you can't fund the Ministry if you don't. You're trying to fence-sit. But the reality is, one group demands rights. The other group demands a lack of rights for those people. There is no middle ground, Kingsley."

Kingsley nodded, standing up. "I'd like to agree, but I don't see an alternative, Harry. Like it or not, we have to fund the government."

"Hermione tried to show you a better way, Kingsley," Harry shook his head wearily. "You don't get it. We'll have to teach it the hard way. I'm sorry," Harry warned Kingsley, Apparating away.

Kingsley blinked. "The hard way… what the…"

* * *

><p>"YOU IDIOT!" Hermione roared, getting up from her reading chair. "You practically gave away our operations, Harry!"<p>

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty!" Harry whimpered, bowing low. "I… you know I'm not very good at subtlety."

"This is basic operational security. Why I… dammit, I can't help but admire your courage in going to that meeting in the first place, and…" Hermione blushed slightly. "of course, your defense of me."

"Your Majesty?" Harry looked up, spotting Hermione's blush. "Are you alright?"

"I… I… I need a few minutes to think, Harry. Please wait outside."

Harry carefully nodded and walked outside the Black Library, long having been claimed for the secondary purpose of Hermione's audience chamber, planning center, and personal research station. He shut the door and sighed. He hadn't the faintest idea what he had been thinking, or what she was thinking.

* * *

><p>"Minister, what's this about you not respecting the Daily Prophet's right to publish things? I head our department heads were most upset."<p>

"Madam, the Ministry has always had the right to suspend publications, and it certainly does not mean we have to appreciate…" Kingsley began to explain, unaware of the other individual circling behind him.

"Imperio."

"Very good. Now, Minister, here's what we're actually going to be doing..."


	4. Chapter 4

"Latest report from Garland," Ron slapped the parchment down on the desk in front of his Queen. He turned back to the rest of the room. "I've been stuck in the low ranks of the Auror department, but I have to agree with Adam's conclusions. The Minister has completely given up on trying to support us. I suspect the purebloods found something, something that makes him afraid to move against us. We're at the point where we're going to need to actually declare this fight before the Vernal Equinox."

"Why the Equinox?" Harry asked.

"Well, it's just a timeframe," Ron hesitated. "I figure that more laws restricting muggleborn and so-called 'creature' rights are going to hit the table at the Winter Solstice Grand Meeting. That's only three weeks away. Our Light faction technically has more votes these days, so in theory would be able to shut down any bill, if I'm assessing the politics correctly. The problem is that the Dark side will fail to fund the government."

"Wait, fail to fund the government? I don't understand," Harry complained.

Neville broke in this time. "Most of the money that the Dark side funnels in actually comes in at each Equinox, that's when the budget for the next six months is set. If the Wizengamot doesn't get contributors, then it can't fund itself and it doesn't have a budget. The Dark faction still contributes most of the money to fund the government. They'll threaten to set their funding to 0 if they don't get their bills passed. Before, they held the majority, and they didn't need to hold their funding. Problem now is, our side put a lot into rebuilding. We can't fund the government on our own, not for long."

Hermione exploded. "How the hell did this screwed up system get passed in the first place?!"

"The system works for the ones in power. It's why we agree you need to change things, Your Majesty," Neville pointed out. "This is exactly why none of your proposals got passed prior to the Autumnal Equinox – the government needed to be funded. The Dark will get bolder with that success behind them though. These bills will likely get passed before that. We obviously will want to act when they do."

Hermione nodded slowly. "Agreed. We'll declare ourselves the instant that bill hits the floor, and let slip the dogs of war."

"Problem is," Harry pointed out. "We probably don't have enough power to take out the whole Ministry without killing a lot of people and turning evil ourselves."

Hermione grinned. "Power… I was wondering when you'd mention that. It just so happens that some of my research has paid off. The price that will be demanded is… high, but not impossible. I will call a full meeting of our organization this weekend, where I will explain the nature of the ritual, and collect… volunteers."

"Uh, Hermione, you're not planning to hurt people, are you…" Harry queried.

"No I am not." She revealed the details of the plan to her present lieutenants. Ron was shocked at first, but understood and decided that it would work out anyway. Harry and Neville sat there quietly and thoughtfully.

* * *

><p>Hermione gazed out at the assembled crowd outside the house that was being used for their base. Their ranks had grown to a full seventy, though not everyone was in attendance.<p>

"Rituals, as we know," Hermione paused, "are ultimately about intent. A lot of the common murmurings about ancient or dead languages, aligning artifacts under the moon at specific times of year, are all silly. All you really need are the right runic circle, the right positioning of individuals to represent intent, and the spoken intent of the ritual. What I have found is a circle that would work as a power-increasing ritual. It's a Light Ritual because it requires everything to be sacrificed willingly. Dark Rituals generally are the opposite – the sacrifices are forced. The price is, well…" Hermione blushed. "It'll power up everyone that participates, though me mostly, if I'm the focus. But it means that everyone that participates is basically taking a magical oath of fidelity to me. The Ritual can only be performed once, and if anyone later betrays the oath, they will probably lose their magic. So this is only something you should agree to if you're certain. But I know perfectly well a lot of you have been attracted to me," she glanced particularly at Ron and Harry, "and we've been getting close. The Ritual isn't worth it if I don't get at least three who are willing."

"Oath of fidelity… that's a marriage bond, isn't it?" Ron clarified.

Hermione shook her head. "Magical marriages contain oaths of fidelity, yes. However, that's each person swearing that oath to each other. Since there will be more than one of you, it would be obviously counterproductive for me to affirm such an oath in return, and the ritual doesn't call for me to do that."

"So you're building a harem, Hermione. Damn, that's bold," Ginny whistled. "I'm not interested, but I'm sure there are plenty that are."

"I would," Justin jumped in. "You've been the most beautiful lady since we first got on that train. I just thought I never had a chance…"

"Justin, just because you have an oath to me doesn't mean we're automatically in a relationship. I'll certainly do my best to try, but we have to build naturally. Really, I'm in a relationship with Ron, and Harry is close to it. It's a tough decision, and you'll get the power boost regardless. It does mean you can't have sex with anyone else."

Justin frowned for a second, then shook his head. "I'll take the chance, Your Majesty. You've never been anything but fair and wonderful to all of us. I'm in."

"Well I'm obviously in. I was planning on asking you to marry me, Hermione, but when you showed this plan to us before showing everyone… well, you know it took me a while. This feels right, though," Ron explained. "I'm definitely in."

"Except for maybe a couple of other individuals in this room," Harry pointed out, "everyone I've dealt with has been primarily interested in my fame. I'm not totally sure what love is, but you are one of my best friends, Hermione, and I don't know anywhere I'd rather be, ultimately. I'm here for you."

"I'm in," Luna added, surprising everyone. "If you can afford to wait until the winter holiday. I probably can't steal another weekend like this before then. I don't really think I can explain why… not here."

"I'll do it," Neville added. "You were the first person to see something worthwhile in me. Well, you and Harry, and no offense Harry, but I'm not that into you…" Harry stuck his tongue out at Neville, triggering general laughter.

"You planning on using that, Harry?" Hermione interjected. Harry blushed.

Neville waited a second for the crowd to calm down. "You're the right one for me."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you, all of you. I'm touched, really. Anyone else that interested in me?" A few people shifted around uncomfortably. "Okay, this is definitely not something to do lightly. So I won't ask anyone else. I have five here. Over the winter holidays, we will be making a trip to the United States. The Ritual's power increases the more open space, and the less competing life there is. So open desert is probably the safest way to do it. I will get us tickets to San Diego. We could probably use a couple of extra hands just for the preparation. Anyone want to come?"

Alicia agreed to actually conduct the Ritual, as it required one outsider to bind and focus, and George and Seamus agreed to provide extra hands and cover.

"Since we're out of the country, isn't this a good time for a strike by some of our other members?" Ginny asked pointedly.

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Indeed. Battle Squads 3 and 4 should enact our plan to take out the underage magic detectors. That should distract the Ministry enough to allow Crystal to discuss affairs safely in London. No doubt Luna, as our publicity front end, will be blamed, as might Harry, but they'll both be able to prove they weren't in the country. Ginny, as the rest of the executive council will be in the US, operational control is yours."

Ginny nodded. "Thank you. I'll try to do my best."

"Do, or do not. There is no try." Hermione reprimanded Ginny, then giggled.

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

* * *

><p>"This plan is crazy, Hermione," Harry muttered. Hermione could barely hear him over the crowds and plane traffic of Heathrow International Airport. "You know that, right?"<p>

"It'll be fine…"

"Now Boarding, Air New Zealand Flight 2, London to Auckland via Los Angeles," came over the intercom/

"Air New Zealand?" Harry queried, incredulous.

"Cheapest," Hermione admitted, leading her group of eight up the ramp. "We're not taking the full trip, as you know – just to the States. With eight fliers, this was always going to be a risky venture. But we definitely… need space. Lots of it."

* * *

><p>Harry looked back anxiously at the car behind them. "Hermione, I think Justin is a really bad driver. He's almost hit two different lorries now…"<p>

"Harry, I'm trying to drive myself, where we need to be is over three hours away from LAX, and I'm not used to American roads, now please shut up!"

* * *

><p>"As your Ritual Conductor this evening, I'd like to warn you that once we begin, this Ritual requires everyone to agree to the intent as described. We all know what we're doing tonight, this is your last chance to back out," Alicia warned everyone.<p>

Harry, Neville, Ron, Justin, and Luna nodded quickly. "We're in. You know this, Alicia," Harry replied, speaking for all of them.

"Enter the circle, all of you exactly 72 degrees apart, facing the center. Your Majesty…"

"I know the Ritual," Hermione replied haughtily, stepping towards the center. "I spent several days making sure the arithmancy was actually correct."

"So I'm still not clear on why we need so much space. It's like… a circle a mile wide." Ron commented, looking out at the runes carved into the desolation of Borrego Springs.

"The power increases the more space we used, because it's actually dependent on space along the runic circle between users. This is the biggest circle we dared draw without drawing attention, it's not quite a mile wide, more like 3 miles in circumference," Hermione explained, turning back. "Look, f of x and d equals lambda to the power quantity, 2 minus the quantity d over 360, plus x*, where d is the number of degrees between our members, and x is the actual space between members in miles. Lambda is supposedly Flamel's Fourth Constant of Power Fluctuations, but that is actually just the natural base e. Too often rituals ignore x because they figure it's so small to be insignificant. But with a circle this big, we're going to get a value of 0.6, giving us an exponent in total of 2.4. Getting an exponent over 2 is going to increase my power tremendously. This will ultimately multiply my base power by a factor of more than eleven."

Harry's jaw dropped. "Never was good at math, but… damn. What's our power increase?" Harry asked.

"It's the standard base times one point three you'd get from any magical oath of fidelity," Hermione replied.

"Alright," Harry replied easily. "You're the important one here." Hermione smiled softly.

"Okay, everyone let's get into our positions," Alicia requested again. This time, Justin, Ron, Neville, Luna, and Harry made their way to the points on the outside of the circle. Alicia pulled out her broom. "This is going to be easier if I do it from the air. Have fun, Majesty," she grinned at Hermione. Hermione started walking to the outcropping in the exact center of the circle. It would be easier to hear and see everyone – a ritual requirement – from higher ground.

Meanwhile, George and Seamus set up a quick campsite on the side of the road next to the cars. Any Muggle that came by would think nothing of a pair of campers.

* * *

><p>*AN: To clarify: f(x,d) = e^(2-(d/360)+x).


	5. Chapter 5

Zach Williams was just a wizard trying to earn a living. His job was to monitor the magic detectors, and let his superiors know if anything illegal was detected. The detectors currently monitored underage wanded magic and a few secret and illegal curses throughout the country. Battle Squads Three and Four were well aware that Zach wasn't the problem. When Parvati and Padma opened the door using an access key, they simply stunned him immediately while Susan and Brian disabled the alarms of magic being used in the detection room. Parvati checked Zach's pulse. "He's fine. Let's Obliviate him of the last five minutes and portkey him to St. Mungo's."

"After the mission's almost complete," Susan corrected. "Fortunately, because the Ministry is underfunded enough to only have one person monitoring this office…"

"Technically there are two of us," Padma reminded her. "But I was late to work this morning. Oops."

Susan giggled. "Okay, that was almost too easy. Let's set the charges." The Battle Squads, save the Patils, quickly started setting charges. Padma held a lookout on the door, making sure no one was coming, while Parvati kept her wand on the stunned Zach.

Brian was just setting the last charge when… "Crap, we have someone coming!" Padma shuts the door quickly. Brian quickly stunned Padma, and Parvati cushioned her sister's fall. "Okay, let's portkey these two to St. Mungo's, get out of here, and fire the charges."

Five minutes later, Mike Walker opened the door to the magic detector room. He realized two things at once: one, there was no one actually in the room when there should have been, and two, there was a loud ticking sound. Being a Muggle-raised halfblood himself, he knew exactly what this was likely to mean. He quickly shut the door. The door promptly exploded, knocking Mike unconscious.

* * *

><p>Crystal sighed at the grand building in front of her. Not a single ward of any kind. Probability of compromised office: 100%. She had just "scouted out" Number Ten, Downing Street, by silently tagging along with a group of tourists. This was going to sadly be too easy. Well, getting in would be easy. The hard part would be getting Minister Blair to believe her. She Apparated into the main office.<p>

"What the hell? Who are you?" Tony Blair demanded. He was not a man used to people coming into his office out of nowhere.

Crystal reacted immediately, her wand already out. "Obscuro! Silencio!" she fired at the painting. "Prime Minister, I believe your office has been compromised by the Ministry of Magic. I would like to help you."

"And why should I help you?" the Prime Minster asked coolly. "In less than a minute armed guards should be entering the room here, putting you under arrest."

"Do they show up to arrest Minister Shacklebolt too?"

"Well, no, but that's only because he seals the room… oh."

"Yeah, I wandlessly did that right away," Crystal confirmed. She waved her wand at the curtains, closing them.

The Prime Minister glared at Crystal. "I suspect that the painting will soon figure out a way to report to the Ministry that you have a magical intruder. I'll need to be gone before they arrive. Let me just say that the Ministry, despite the defeat of Voldemort, still doesn't treat everyone fairly as British law demands. While the magical government is technically equal to yours and is not subject to your laws, the fact is that every Muggleborn that accepts invitation to the magical world becomes subject to laws they find oppressive and wrong. We're sick of it, and we would like your world's assistance in helping us ensure that."

"What kind of assistance are we talking about here? And I would need to see proof of such claims…"

Crystal dropped a CD on the Prime Minister's desk. "Here is a transcription of a bunch of still active laws on the books. It's in CD form because the Ministry would recognize this in paper form and confiscate it when they see you next, probably wiping your memory as well…" the fireplace turned green. "My name is Crystal Hammond, you have the resources to find my family. Pretend to the Minister that I was about to attack you." Crystal Disapparated out of there immediately. Minister Shacklebolt quickly entered through the floo.

"Prime Minister, our painting reported a magical disturbance."

"Yes, someone in a long cloak popped in out of nowhere, magically tied me up and was asking me a lot of questions. Sounded vaguely Chinese, but I couldn't see his face. He was just about to start firing curses at me for not answering when the fireplace turned green, he then removed the ropes and left," Tony replied, enjoying throwing out a total lie.

"This is… most disturbing. I shall investigate with our contacts in Asia. In the meantime I will arrange for you to have a magical guard," Kingsley replied. "After all, you didn't mind me so much, so it should be fine, right?"

"Yes, yes," Tony replied, waving it off. "As long as their work is as excellent and efficient as yours was."

"That can be arranged. Now, can you describe this intruder as best you can? I know you couldn't see his face."

"Certainly. He was about five and a half feet tall, about a medium sort of build… It's not like I could see much, mind…"

* * *

><p>Crystal Apparated back into Hermione's base, nodding to herself. Part one complete. Now for part two.<p>

* * *

><p>Crystal Apparated calmly into Diagon Alley as if nothing interesting was going on. She walked casually into Gringotts, walking past the teller lines to one of the side offices. She gave a slight bow to the goblin guard waiting outside. "I am here for diplomatic reasons, and I wish to speak to Director Ragnok."<p>

"Diplomatic eh?" the goblin muttered aggressively. "What could any human have to say that we would be interested in hearing?"

"I do not represent the Ministry. I represent…" Crystal looked around carefully. Seeing no other humans nearby, she continued "a group of individuals looking to form a multi-species coalition. I won't say any more on the open bank floor."

"I'll check to see if he's available," the guard replied sourly. Crystal nodded.

A few minutes later, the guard came back. "He's unavailable at this time. Be here at 10AM sharp tomorrow."

Crystal bowed again. "Most graciously. Thank you."

* * *

><p>"Director, thank you for taking the time to meet with me."<p>

"Miss Hammond, I have a pretty good idea why you're here. The fact that you were willing to wait a day, when so few humans are, itself impresses me, and indicates that you respect me," the Director peered across his desk.

"Director, I think most of us think of your people as just other people. Sadly, 'most of us' constitute a vast minority of the wealth and power in this country. The wealthy, by their nature, do most of the business with banks, and their interactions… are difficult."

"Miss Hammond, it's traditionally little better from Muggleborns."

Crystal frowned. "I would say that first impressions mean much, and it is likely both sides make a bad first impression on each other. Muggleborns enter Diagon Alley for the first time, and make their first trip to Gringotts, with no comprehension that non-human sentient beings are anything but the dreams of science fiction and fantasy. Fear is a natural reaction. Of course, this can also be blamed on the way the Ministry throws us into the deep end with severe culture shock. Director, what if we could change all that?"

"Not possible. The Ministry has operated the way it has for centuries. Unless you want to fight a war… and the goblin people are sick and tired of fighting wars. We may be a warlike people, Miss Hammond, but it has been out of necessity. We shed blood to even be permitted what little we have in your society. It would take a much bigger provocation to be worth the risk."

"The Ministry is no friend of mine either. The people I have come to think of as my own family, collectively, we ask, why do we need a Ministry? It doesn't work for the common people, or for the goblins, or the house elves, or anyone except wealthy pureblood wizards."

"Stipulated," the Director replied, warning entering his voice. "But this doesn't mean anything substantial."

"There are those of us who just fought for what we thought was our freedom… only to find the Ministry continuing business as usual. We are sick of business as usual. We propose to bring Magical Britain back to its original charter, a monarch who respects and holds court alongside sentient beings of all races. We did consider trying to reunite the magical world with the Muggle world, and unite Britain under its current Queen, but that will ultimately fail, as magicals will, on the whole, be feared and hated, and war would come again. While we will gain the support of the Muggle government in secret, and in fact I already began overtures to gain this support, the worlds should still remain separate. But overall, Director, we want the support of every sentient race in Britain. Because our goal has always been freedom and equal opportunity for everyone. I'll admit that you're the first we've yet approached, but the rest will come. We want your people to stand beside us, and create a Magical Britain fair for everyone."

"Intriguing," the Director admitted. "I am not opposed to such an ideal. But there are two most important questions, and I need honest and direct answers to both. Who is your future King, and what exactly do you want in terms of support?"

"I know of no King. Our Queen is currently known as Hermione Granger. I do not know if she plans on keeping her name when she declares her throne, but I suspect she will. In terms of support, what we most need is the support of Gringotts in reforming the government after the fact. This means, most significantly, after we have taken power, assisting us in collecting substantial taxes on wizardkind's wealthiest individuals, though we will be taxing all beings that participate in our government in a fair and equitable manner, with appropriate input. For now, we would like to know that any attempts by the Ministry to tamper with the vaults of Queen Hermione or any of her comrades will be dismissed or circumvented and reported to us. It is also our hope that you send a representative to participate in our strategic discussions, and prepare your people to have representation in our Queen's court."

"You are very direct, Miss Hammond," the Director commented, rapidly writing down what Crystal had conveyed to him.

"Time is money, Director. I surmised it would be appreciated."

"It is. I will have an answer for you in a few weeks. This requires much consideration and deliberation," the Director informed her.

"Thank you Director. I hope this is the start of a productive relationship," Crystal replied, seeing herself out.


End file.
